Finger-piece eyeglasses.



E. G. BERNHEIM. FINGER PIECE EYEGLASSES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26,1909.

Patented June 11, 1912.

A TTOR/VE Y8 NITE EUGENE G. BERNHEIM, 0F SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR' T0 AMERICAN OPTICAL COMPANY, OF SOUTHBRIDGE, SAGHUSETTS.

MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAS- FINGER-PIECE EYEGLASSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 191.2.

Application filed June 26, 190E). Serial No. 504,409.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE C. BERN- HEIM, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Southbridge, Worcester county, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F inger-Piece Eyeglasses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to eyeglasses of the kind in which pivoted spring pressed nose clamps are provided together'with finger pieces for operating said clamps.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction of this character of maximum strength combined with pleasing appearance.

A further object is to facilitate assembly of parts and especially to provide for the use of any desired variety of size and styles of parts particularly of bridges, and to facilitate their exchange or use in a given pair of lenses according to the taste of the user.

A still further object of the invention is to enable a bridge of maximum length to be used for a minimum distance between the eyes thus making more easy the bending and fitting of said bridge to an individual nose.

My structure is very strong, durable, pleasing in appearance and economical in manufacture.

The accompanying drawings, which are made a part of my specification, show various modifications of my invention, Figure 1 being an enlarged rear elevation of a preferred embodiment of said invention, outer portions of the lenses being broken away; Fig. 2 being a plan View of Fig. *1; Fig. 3 a perspective of the box or support to which bridge, nose clamps, lenses and other parts are attached; Fig. 4 a plan of the stamping from which Fig.8 is formed; Fig. 5 a perspective of a modified form of box; Fig. 6 a perspective of another modified form of box; and Fig. 7 a plan of the stamping used in forming the box of Fig. 5. If the stamping of Fig. 7 be cut ott along the lower ....-transverse dotted line it becomes the stampnecessary to storm the box of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, each lens A is clamped between the usual ears B B and s ap C Behind the lens and rigidly atta hed to the rear ear is a box D while in the plane of the lens and adjacent to strap C is an ear (pivot-screw support) E into which screws the pivot F upon which the nose clamps G of usual construction are adapted to rotate. This screw F also carries the spring II, also of usual type, which controls said nose clamps.

lVhile the combined structure comprising ears, strap, box and pivot screw support may be made in any desired way without departing from the spirit of my invention, I prefer to form such structure from a single piece as illustrated in Fi l, which piece is very easily accurately and cheaply struck out by suitable dies. Other dies may be used to accurately bend such stamping into the final form shown in Fig. 3.

In forming the structure of Fig. 3 the stamping of F 4 is bent along the dotted lines, the portion I making the top of the box, the portion J the outer edge of the box and the portion K the rear edge of the box, the portion L between J and the terminal ear E constituting the bottom of the box and leaving E in a position convenient for the reception of the pivot-screw F.

In assembling the eye-glasses, bridge M is suitably drilled and thrust into box D which it is arranged to fit. A screw N is then slipped into hole 0 which hole will register with the hole in the bridge end and also with threaded. hole P now on the under side of the box. Bridge and boxes with their attached lenses may thus be rigidly clamped together. Hole Q in ear E is tapped for the reception of pivot screw F, the combined nose clamp and finger piece Gr is slipped thereon, and the spring H set in place, all in the usual way.

The structure of Fig. 5 is formed from the stamping of Fig. 7 in which the extensions used to make up the box are lateral to the line of the ears B B instead of parallel to said line as in Fig. 4. The box resulting therefrom has necessarily no outer edge or side. As shown, the holes 0' P which register with one another and with the hole in the end of the bridge are horizontal and atright angles to the plane of the lenses'instead of vertical and parallel to the plane of the lenses as in the structure of Figs. 1 to 4:.

In Fig. 6 which is also made from the stamping of Fig. 7 save thatthe latter has its bottom fold out off at the lower transverse dotted line, the box having no sides whatever, the screw N being passed right through the bridge end and into threaded holes P. i

In the constructions of Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, the ear E required to support the nose clamp system must be separately made and attached to the structure formed from the stamping 7. This may be accomplished by solder, brazing or in any other desired way.

It will be seen that in my invention just described, the boxes into which the bridge ends are fitted are immediately behind and concealed by the ears B B; also that the bridge M is substantially longer than it could be were the said bridge terminated at a point between said lenses and in the plane of said lenses as is usually the case. The former feature of construction reduces to a minimum the area of the exposed parts while the latter permits bending and adjustment of the bridge with greater ease and less danger of breaking the same. A further advantage of this construction is that it permits the use of separate bridges so that an assortment of bridges can be carried by the dealer and any conditions of measurements easily fulfilled.

Variations in the form of stamping employed in my invention together with yariations in modes of securing the various constituent parts thereof may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention which I have embodied in the following claim.

I claim as my invention:

In the eyeglass art, as a new article of manufacture, a sheet metal blank adapted to be bent up and provided with oppositely extending straps for engaging the lens edge, lens fastening ears laterally and centrally arranged as to said straps, and

a bridge end supporting member attachedto one of said lens fastening ears. said member being also provided "with an ear for the support of a nose clamp.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE G. BERNHEIM.

Witnesses \VILLIAM H. HURLBERT, FREDERICK G. BLANCHARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

